the blue waggon - august, 2011
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The DREAM Program Alumni NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
The Blue Wagon
Alumni Newsletter – August 2011
Inside this issue Amuse Bouche & Announcements 2
Federal Budget Cuts & DREAM: 2012 & Beyond 3
Summer Wrap Up: The D-Units have Done-It 4
How Easy it is to Help: Jeans for DREAM 5
National Night Out Against Crime 5
DREAM Alumni Appeal is Coming Soon! 6
DREAM Doppelgängers 7-8
At the end of July, the DREAM Board and Alumni Council (including Mike Loner and Sandy Mervak) met for a weekend at Camp to participate in the first annual Governing Bodies Retreat. Dylan Nelson and Kristin Burdge flew in from Washington, DC for the weekend, which is a total testament to their awesomeness. It was the first time that this Alumni Council had ever met in person, and it was the first (and certainly not the last) time that the two leadership bodies had ever come together. The purpose of the weekend was simple but important: to come up with a unified vision – with Growth, Innovation, and Sustainability as the three pillars – of where we think DREAM can and should be in five years. We kicked off the weekend with mini brainstorming sessions, where people divided into three groups based on which focus (Growth, Innovation, Sustainability) was of most interest to them; each group was then instructed to DREAM up a five-year vision specific to their chosen pillar. After two hours of creative thinking and passionate discussion, we convened, listened to each group present its vision for DREAM, and critiqued the ideas. How it all came together was very cool… certain themes kept popping up across all three pillars, so we arrived at the unified vision almost organically. We closed the weekend on Sunday by recording the ambitious, attainable, and actionable strategic initiatives that will collectively guide us – the Board, Staff, and Council – to achieving our five-year vision for DREAM. Once Mike Loner has had a chance to review those initiatives with the Staff, from whom we need input and feedback before forging ahead with a truly unified DREAM vision, I will share them with all of you. This was DREAMing Big at its finest.
AMUSE BOUCHE By AJ LeGaye, Alumni Council President
1. The DREAM Alumni of Washington, DC had a blast during their summer mini-reunion on July 24th! A rooftop BBQ potluck was the perfect way for 8 DREAMers to share delicious food, stories, and ideas on DREAM's future. In attendance were a DREAM Board member, a Leadership Donor, President Obama's New Media Director (no joke!), a bedrock member of DREAM's Alumni Appeal committee, a lowly Alumni Council member (self-call!), and other amazing folks. We're not a huge bunch, but we're committed! A special shout out to Brittany Beth for her amazing roasted corn and Emily Phillips for bringing an incredible DREAM cheesecake. The next DC reunion will be sometime this fall. E-mail [email protected] if you'd like to participate or help set up the next event.
2. Why Politics Matters: Federal Fiscal Policy & DREAM. Check out this article from the Burlington Free Press earlier this month: “Federal Cuts Affect Vermont Services”. http://goo.gl/eBmFK
3. Join DREAM on Thursday, August 18th, from 6- 9PM, for a Fundraising Friend Raiser at Splash, Boston's newest Ultra-Lounge and Burger Bar! Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and are available on the DREAM Store Page! http://goo.gl/NMKcm
The distinguished DREAM Alumni of Washington, DC.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dear DREAM Alumni Members, Greetings from DREAM! You may or may not have heard by now that DREAM was not awarded an AmeriCorps grant for the 2011-2012 program year. As many of you know, roughly half of the staff members here at DREAM are AmeriCorps members. We did not receive funding from the Corporation this year due to cuts in the federal budget that greatly reduced the overall budget available for AmeriCorps State programs such as DREAM. That said; please trust us that DREAM will be OK. We are in the midst of planning what DREAM will look like without AmeriCorps resources and taking a long-term approach to this since it is likely that the overall funding picture for AmeriCorps will not change in the near future. We are focusing on increasing our staffing where possible and creating new internship opportunities for college students where appropriate to help us continue to provide the highest level of mentor support possible. DREAM has also been able to secure two VISTA member positions from the Vermont Youth Tomorrow A*VISTA program. These members will fill the Program Empowerment Director roles. One will focus on Northern Vermont programs and the other on Southern Vermont programs. We have already communicated this information to the mentors in DREAM and the overall response has been positive; current mentors are ready to take on this challenge with us. Over the next few weeks we will also communicate with the Alumni Organization how you all may be able to help. We will have specific volunteer positions available to Alumni members that will be designed to help us continue the high level of support DREAM has always provided to the mentors. For instance, DREAMStock is coming up (October 1 and 2), and we will have a need for volunteers to help lead sessions, prepare Camp DREAM, and bring the energy. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to know how you can help out. While the news is disappointing, this next year will be an excellent opportunity for DREAM to develop systems and resources that will enable us to sustain our programming long into the future. As always, thank you so much for your support and love for DREAM and we look forward to hearing from you. Michael Loner Executive Director [email protected]
Federal Budget Cuts & DREAM: 2012 & Beyond
By Mike Loner, Executive Director
********************************************************************************************* Summer Community Programming in Vermont is coming to a close. After an exciting season of activities, exploration and adventure, DREAMers will be getting ready to return to school. But not before one last culminating experience. This summer, Community Interns went above and beyond all across the state and the kids reaped the rewards. Here is a sample of end-of summer programming in Vermont:
• Franklin Square took a trip to Six Flags New England and held a Community BBQ.
• Riverside and Birchwood put together an all-day picnic and field day at Oakledge Park.
• Pine Meadow, Elm Street and Franklin Street (along with a few Poultney and Forest Park kiddos) organized their own fun-filled picnic and field day at Lake Dunmore.
• Willowbrook (along with a few Poultney and Forest Park kiddos) went on a swimming adventure and camped out at the home of Molly Laing, our Community Intern!
• Windsor and Northwoods/Hollow Drive traveled north on a joint trip to Mt. Moosilauke for a day of hiking and adventures
The DREAM Office would like to extend a special thank you to our summer community interns for a job well done this summer. The enthusiasm they brought everyday was an amazing example of what makes DREAM special. The experiences and memories they created for the kids will last a lifetime. They’re all rock stars, so when you see JJ, Kate P., Zoe, Kate C., Madeleine, Becca, Jess, Sarah, Megan or Molly around next semester, be sure to congratulate them and say thank you!
********************************************************************************************* Keep DREAMin’ Michael Ewan [email protected]
Summer Wrap Up: The D-Units have Done-it! By Mike Ewan, Program Empowerment Director
Above: Franklin Square DREAMers celebrate at the zoo! Below: Willowbrook DREAMers learn about sustainable farming on an organic farm.
As many of us have learned post-graduation, most people can’t wear sweatpants and tee shirts to their jobs like we all became quite accustomed to during our days in College. I work for a CPA firm, where on the most casual of days we are granted the okay to wear a polo shirt with “suit quality pants.” What the heck does this have to do with DREAM you may be asking yourself? Well, once a month (the last Friday of every month) the firm hosts a “Jeans Day for Charity” event. All employees are welcome to wear jeans to work. The catch? Each employee donates $5 to that month’s charity cause. Employees in the Company can present their cause to the Office Manager who selects the cause. I’m proud to say that on August 26th I requested DREAM to be the benefactor of Jeans Day and was selected. It was an easy way to host a fundraiser with little to no effort on my end besides providing a description of the cause for an e-mail blast to the office. It’s not an incredible amount of money, but most Jeans Days result in between $200 - $300 in donations that are sent to the sponsored cause and people learn about DREAM. Pretty awesome. I’ve received some excellent comments about DREAM and how it’s great to support a cause that is making such a difference in the New England community. Talk to your employers and see what we can do to help support DREAM! It’s easy, and as my mother always said to me, “it never hurts to ask!”
Chris’ dog KaDee says you too can help raise money for DREAM!
How Easy it is to Help: Jeans for DREAM By Chris Ellingwood, Constitution Keeper
On Friday, August 5, 2011, DREAM was recognized by Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC) for their outstanding work in the Orchard Gardens and Madison Park Village communities. The award was presented by City Councilor, Tito Jackson, at MPDC’s 10th Annual National Night Out Against Crime. DREAM’s Resource Development Director, Joshua Warren, had this to say about the award, “Since DREAM arrived in Boston in the fall of 2009, Madison Park Development Corporation has been one of our strongest
supporters. To be recognized by them (MPDC) for our ongoing work in the Orchard Gardens and Madison Park Village communities, is further confirmation that the DREAM Village Mentoring works in an urban environment.” DREAM’s Village Mentoring model, which took root in Vermont over ten years ago, now has a decade long track record of improving outcomes for youth living in subsidized low-income housing. DREAM was joined at National Night Out by their long time partner and supporter, Ben & Jerry’s, who generously donated ice cream for 400 plus residents, youth, police, and community leaders.
National Night Out Against Crime By Josh Warren, Resource Development Director
The 2011 Alumni Appeal is Coming Soon!
Dates: October 15 - November 15
Goal: $50,000 Dollars!!!
WILL YOU HELP US REACH OUR GOAL?
Please look forward to receiving a call from one of your program’s current mentors this October. We look forward to updating you on all of DREAM's accomplishments over the past year made
possible by your support!
Dylan Nelson, Dartmouth ‘09
Rick Perry, Texas Governor
• Do you think Chad Butt , Dartmouth ’04, looks like Brad Pitt? • Every time you see Gary Tilden, Champlain ’09, can you not help but think you’re looking at Robert Pattinson?
• Do you think Ali Shapiro, UVM ’07, bares an uncanny resemblance to Sarah Michelle Geller?
• If so, let us know! Send your submissions for DREAM Doppelgangers to [email protected]